Pi's Design Challenge VII Route
Pi’s Design Challenge VII Route is Pi's submission for the TARDC7 finale. The race visited all six inhabited continents. Along the way, teams delivered a meal for gorillas in Rwanda, searched for a Holy Grail in Jordan, and explored the Incan Empire in Peru. Development & Production The race began in California’s Silicon Valley and ended in Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Three new countries and one new area were visited; they were Tonga, Rwanda, Jordan, and Tibet in China. The race spanned 37,000 miles (59,500 kilometers). Results * A red team placement means the team was eliminated. * A blue leg placement indicates a non-elimination leg. * A yellow that a team chose to use the U-Turn; indicates the team who received it; [ ] around a leg number indicates a leg where the U-Turn was available but not used. * A green f means that a team won the Fast Forward. * A magenta e means that the team used the Express Pass on that leg. ''Icons'' Legs Leg 1 (US > Tonga) * Silicon Valley, California, USA (SanDisk Headquarters) (Starting Line) * ￼ San Francisco (San Francisco Int’l Airport) to Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga￼ (Fua’amotu International Airport) via Auckland, New Zealand (Auckland Airport)￼ * Tongatapu (Mapu a Vaea Blowholes) * Hunga Tonga Island * Tongatapu (Vaini Village) * Nuku’alofa (Tahinonga Kava Club) * Nuku’alofa (Ha‘amonga ‘a Maui) The first Roadblock required one team member to go through the steps of making a tapa cloth. Once it was satisfactory, they would get their next clue. The second Roadblock required the racer who didn't do the first Roadblock to learn a Kava ceremony. Once they had poured everything correctly, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * The Starting Line Task required teams to search through 500 SD cards for one with a video clue by choosing one and inserting it into their camera. Once they found a correct card, they’d get their next clue. * At Mapu a Vaea Blowholes, teams were told to travel by speedboat to the world’s newest island. To get there, they had to tell the captain what the name of the island is (Hunga Tonga). The clue there directed teams to "listen for their next clue" at Vaini Village. The sound was a tapa mallet, a common sound in Tongan villages. The tapa worker would give the teams their next clue. . . Leg 2 (Tonga > Japan) * Nuku'alofa (Fua'amotu International Airport) to Osaka, Japan ''' (Osaka International Airport) * Osaka (Gate Tower) * Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station) to Kyoto (Kyoto Station) * Kyoto (Arashiyama - Bamboo Forest) ** Kyoto (Mlesna Tea House Kyoto) ￼ * Kyoto (Fushimi Inari Shrine) ￼ * Kyoto (Maruyama Park) * Kyoto (Jishō-ji, Ryōan-ji, Tenryū Shiseizen-ji, or Daigo-ji) ￼ * Kyoto (Kyoto Botanical Garden) The Fast Forward required teams to perform an intricate Japanese tea ceremony. The first team to perform the ceremony correctly would win the Fast Forward. In Folding Paper, teams would have to make a miniature senbazuru. Using origami paper, teams would have to correctly fold one hundred origami cranes. Once they were approved, they had to make the senbazuru by attaching all of the cranes, grouped by color, on to a string. Once all 100 cranes were on the string, they would get their next clue. In Folded Fabric, teams would have to find one of the torii on Fushimi Inari Shrine with a ribbon on it. Then, they would have to search for one of hundreds of kimono with the same characters on the torii. Once they had found a match, they would get their next clue. The Roadblock required teams to make their way to one of four of Kyoto’s 2,000 shrines: Jishō-ji, Ryōan-ji, Tenryū Shiseizen-ji, or Daigo-ji, depending on their clue. Once there, they would receive a pattern and would have to use rakes to rake the pattern into a karesansui garden. If their raking was approved, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * At Arashiyama, teams would have to search for one of 10 paper lanterns. Once they had found one, they would have to make their way down to the Ōi River, light it, and set it afloat. Once they had done this, they would receive their next clue. * The clue at Arashiyama was a cryptic clue in the form of a haiku, traditional Japanese poetry. The haiku would lead teams to their next destination. * At Maruyama Park, each team member would have to plant a cherry blossom sapling in order to get their next clue. . . Leg 3 (Japan > Cambodia) * Osaka (Osaka International Airport) to Siem Reap, '''Cambodia (Siem Reap International Airport) * Angkor National Park (Angkor Wat) * Siem Reap (Pub Street Market) * Kampong Phluk (Tonle Sap) * Chong Kenas (Chong Kenas Catholic Church) The Roadblock required one team member to sell a local treat- fried insects. Once teams had made 20,000 riel (about $5 USD), they would have to use the money to fill up glass bottles with gasoline, which is commonly done in Cambodia. Once two bottles were full, they would receive their next clue. The Detour was a choice between Boats & Logs and Nets & Knots. In Boats and Logs, teams would have to correctly restore a Cambodian canoe to be used for the Bon Om Touk festival. Then, they had to load log stilts, which would be used for floating houses, onto the boat. If it was seaworthy, teams would get their next clue. In Nets and Knots, teams would have to go out onto the Tonle Sap in a boat and repair fishing nets. If teams pulled up a net and it contained fish, they would have unload the fish first. Once teams had found and fixed two damaged nets, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * At Angkor Wat, teams had to take pictures of three mythical creatures depicted in Angkor Wat: Apsara, Kala, and Naga. Once teams had all three pictures, they’d get their next clue. * After the Detour, teams had to choose a boat, which would take them to the Pit Stop: the floating Chong Kenas Catholic Church. . . Leg 4 (Cambodia > Tibet, China) * Siem Reap (Siem Reap International) to Lhasa, Tibet (Lhasa Gonggar Airport) * Lhasa (Potala Palace) * Lhasa (Ganden Monastery) * Lhasa (Barkhor Street) The Roadblock required one team member to destruct a sand mandala. After removing the deities in a specific order, teams had to put the sand in a jar and wrap it in silk to get the next clue. The Detour was a choice between Turn and Churn or Back of a Yak. In Turn and Churn, teams had to churn butter tea using traditional methods. Once the monk was satisfied, he would give them the next clue. Back of a Yak required teams to dress a yak. Once the yak herder thought they were correct, teams would light a yak butter candle to get their next clue. Additional tasks: * At Potala Palace, teams had to pick up a khata, a Tibetian scarf. They had to deliver it to Ganden Monastery, where the monk would give them their next clue. . . Leg 5 (Tibet > Rwanda) * Lhasa (Lhasa Gonggar Airport) to Kigali, Rwanda (Kigali International Airport) * Kigali (Kigali Genocide Memorial) * Volcanoes National Park (Karisoke Research Center) ￼ * Volcanoes National Park (Iby’Iwacu Village) ￼￼ * Byumba (Byumba Cathedral) The Roadblock required teams to load 20 kg of ibitoke, a banana-like plant, onto a chukudu, a local type of transport similar to a bike. They had to deliver the ibitoke to endangered gorillas in the national park to receive the next clue. The Speed Bump required Zach & Sadie to paint two teke bottles to continue on with the race. The Detour was a choice between Dung and Dance. Dung required teams to make an Imigongo, an art form made using cow dung. Once their craft was correct, they would get their next clue. In Dance, teams would have to take part in Rwanda’s rich dance traditions. Teams would first see a demonstration, but they would have to keep the beat on an ingoma drum during the demonstration. Once teams had practiced the dance, they would have to perform it correctly to get the next clue. Additional tasks: * At Karisoke Research Center, teams had to find their next clue in igiseke basket. . . Leg 6 (Rwanda > Egypt) * Kigali (Kigali Airport) to Cairo, Egypt (Cairo International Airport) * Cairo (Al-Azhar Mosque) * Cairo (Khan el-Khalili or Mosques) * Cairo (Nilometer) * Giza (Great Pyramid of Giza) * Giza (Great Sphinx of Giza) The Detour was a choice between Dates and Shoes. In Dates, teams would have to sort a basket of dates, after which they would get the next clue. Shoes required teams to organize the shoes at the entrance of one of 4 Mosques, as Muslims take off their shoes before entering a mosque. Once all shoes had been paired, they would get their next clue. The Roadblock required one team member to translate five phrases from hieroglyphics to English. If all five phrases were correct, they would get the next clue. If not, teams would have to circle the Great Pyramid of Giza by camel before trying again. Additional tasks: * At the beginning of the leg, teams were told to fly to the largest city on the Nile River, leaving them to figure out that it was Cairo, Egypt. * At Al-Azhar Mosque, teams would be presented with the Arabic word ￼, which means “the intifada” or “the uprising”, as Al-Azhar mosque was the epicenter of the 1798 Egyptian revolt against Napoleon and the French. Teams had to make their way (not allowed to run) across the mosque, and both team members had to correctly recreate the Arabic word on a piece of paper. If they were correct, they would get the next clue. * At the Nilometer, teams had to measure the level of the Nile, which was constantly changing. Then, they had to write their guess on a traditional papyrus paper and present it to a judge. If it was approved, they would get their next clue. * Teams were directed to travel by taxi to “the last surviving Ancient Wonder of the World,” leaving them to figure out it was the Pyramids of Giza. Arriving at Giza, teams had to select camels for transportation that also had their Roadblock information. . . Leg 7 (Egypt > Jordan) * Nuweiba (Nuweiba Port) to Aqaba, Jordan (Port of Aqaba) * Aqaba (Aqaba Flagpole) * ￼Aqaba (Al-Sharif Al-Hussein Bin Ali Mosque or Aqaba Souk) ￼ * Aqaba (Aqaba Church) * Petra (the Siq) * Petra (Treasury) * Petra (Roman Theater) The Detour was a choice between New Energy and Traditional Dish. New Energy required teams to install and repair solar panels on the mosque, as all mosques in Jordan are converting to solar energy. Traditional Dish required teams to taste mansaf, then figure out what spices were in it. The Roadblock required one team member to find a “Holy Grail” inside the Treasury- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed there. Once they had found it, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * After the Detour, teams were directed to "the oldest purpose-built Christian Church in the world, located in Aqaba." . . Leg 8 (Jordan > Ukraine) * Aqaba (King Hussein Int'l Airport) to Lviv, Ukraine (Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport) * Lviv (Lviv-Main) to Rivne (Rovno railway terminal) * Rivne (Kampot Restaurant) * Rivne (Independence Square or Rivne Music and Drama Theatre) * Rivne (Soborna and Mitskevycha Streets) * Rivne (Shevchenko Park) * Rivne (Cathedral of the Intercession) * Klevan (Tunnel of Love) The Detour was a choice between Dance and Dress. Dance required teams to don traditional clothing and perform a Ukrainian folk dance. Dress required teams to finish sewing and embroidering a vyshyvanka shirt, the Ukrainian national costume. The Roadblock asked, “Who’s an egg-celent worker?” That team member had to correctly make a pysanka to receive the next clue. Additional tasks: * At Kampot restaurant, teams would have to grate 20 beets to be made into borscht, a Ukrainian soup, to get their next clue. * After the Detour, teams would have to identify which of the buildings in the nearby area were Stalinist style. If their guess was correct, they would get their next clue. * At Shevchenko Park, teams had to participate in an Ivan Kupala ceremony. Once they had jumped over a fire for good luck, they would get their next clue. . . Leg 9 (Ukraine > Spain) * Lviv (Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport) to Alicante, Spain (Alicante–Elche Airport) * Alicante (Castle of Santa Barbara) * Alicante (Masia el Altet) ￼￼ * Valencia (Torres de Serranos) ￼ * Valencia (Museu de Belles Arts de València) * Buñol (Plaza del Pueblo) * Buñol (Castillo de Buñol) The Roadblock required one team member to press olives to make olive oil, which Spain is the number one producer of. Once teams made a liter of olive oil and had it approved, they would get their next clue. The Speed Bump required Lexi & Alexa to take place in a Valencian Las Fellas tradition- mascletà. Once 20 tubes had been filled with fireworks, they could continue with the race. The Detour was a choice between Your Oil and Your Face. In Your Oil, teams would have to make their way to Casa Roberto and use the oil they made in the Roadblock to make paella, Valencia’s traditional dish. Once the chef approved, teams would get their next clue. In Your Face, teams would have to search the nearby streets of Valencia and search through hundreds of ninots, small figures usually burned in a festival, to find two that represented each of the team members. Once they found the correct two, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * After the Roadblock, teams would have to find marked Ford Escapes and drive to Valencia. * At the Museu de Belles Arts de València, teams would have to load a crate of tomatoes into their Ford Escapes and deliver them to Buñol, where 145,000 kg of tomatoes are used annually in the Tomatina festival. . . Leg 10 (Spain > Peru) * Valencia (Valencia Joaquin Sorolla Station) to Madrid (Madrid-Puerta de Atocha) * Madrid (Adolfo Suárez Airport) to Cusco, Peru (Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport) * Cusco (Plaza del Armas) * Pisac (Pisac Market) ** Urubamba (Hacienda del Chalan) ￼ * Ollantaytambo (Pinkuylluna Ruins) ￼ * Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu * Machu Picchu (Temple of the Sun) ￼ * Machu Picchu (Inti Watana) The Fast Forward required teams to separate a pen of llamas, vicunas, and alpacas, and guanacos into four different pens, one for each type of animal. Once the camelids were correctly corralled, a team would win the Fast Forward. The Roadblock required teams to use strings of llama wool given to them by the weaver to create a quipu, an Incan recording device made of strings. Once the strings were color-coded and in the correct order, teams would get the next clue. The Detour was a choice between In Your Head and On Your Feet. In the former, teams had to make their way to the Temple of the Sun and find the trapezoidal windows (trapezoids being the main shape in Incan architecture), where they would be given information regarding their size in Imperial units. Teams would have to calculate the dimensions of a geometrically similar trapezoid, and convert the measures to the Incan unit of measure, thatki. If their numbers were correct, they would get their next clue. In On Your Feet, teams had to make their way to the Temple of the Sun, where one team member would be taken away to another location. The first team member would have to listen to a message, and become an Incan messenger. Running along a marked path, they would have to find their partner, who would have to make their way to the Room of the Three Windows and relay the message. Once they were correct, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * In Cusco, teams stayed the night with a Peruvian family, who would help them acclimatize to Peru's high altitude. The next morning, teams would get their next clue. * At Pisac Market, teams received llama wool and a loom and would have to transport them to a weaver in Ollantaytambo, who would give teams their next clue. * Teams had to bring Incan ritual objects to Inti Watana, a ritual stone, to be allowed to check in to the Pit Stop. . . Leg 11 (Peru > Puerto Rico) * Aguas Calientes (Statue of Pachacutec) (Pit Start) * Cusco (Alejandro Velasco Astete Int’l Airport) to San Juan, Puerto Rico , United States (Luis Muñoz Marín Int’l Airport) * San Juan (Plaza de Armas) ￼￼ * Fajardo (Catedral Santiago Apostol or El Conquistador Resort) ￼￼ * Fajardo (Laguna Grande) * Fajardo (Cape San Juan Lighthouse) The Roadblock required one team member to string a cuatro, a Puerto Rican instrument. Once all four strings were correct, teams would get their next clue. The Detour was a choice between Sweet Drink and Saint Statue. Saint Statue required teams to decorate two santos, statues that represent saints. Once the priest approved, teams would get their next clue. Sweet Drink required teams to make piña coladas, the national drink of Puerto Rico. Teams had to mix pineapple juice, coconut cream, and rum (which Puerto Rico is the world’s largest producer). Once teams made twenty piña coladas, all with the correct proportion of drink, teams would have to garnish and serve the drinks get their next clue. Additional tasks: * At Plaza de Armas, teams had to get their next clue from a group of salsa dancers. * At Laguna Grande, teams had to paddle a kayak through one of the only bioluminescent bays in the world to reach the Pit Stop- Cape San Juan Lighthouse. . . Leg 12 (Puerto Rico > United States) * ￼ San Juan (Luis Muñoz Marín Int’l Airport) to Cheyenne, Wyoming (Cheyenne Regional Airport) * Cheyenne (Cheyenne Frontier Days Arena) ￼ * Cheyenne (Wyoming State Capitol) * Cheyenne (Cheyenne Regional Airport) to Jackson (Jackson Hole Airport) * Yellowstone National Park (West Thumb Ranger Station) ** Yellowstone National Park (West Thumb Geyser Basin) * Yellowstone National Park (Grand Loop Road) * Yellowstone National Park (Natural Bridge) * Yellowstone National Park (Lookout Point) * Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful Inn) The Roadblock, at the largest outdoor rodeo in the US, required one team member to participate in a tradition usually occurring before a rodeo starts- flag carrying. Before the ceremony started, the Roadblock teammate would have to select two small solid color flags. Every flag of a previously visited country would have to have one of those two colors on it. Then, they would mount a steer and would have to keep pace with the other flag carriers. If everything was correct, teams would get their next clue. The second Roadblock required one team member to match up the tracks and footprints of seven animals commonly found in Yellowstone- bison, deer, wolf, fox, bear, bighorn sheep, and elk. However, if they could not match them up correctly, they would have to go to West Thumb Geyser Basin and find a small wooden animal of one of five they had experienced on the race (gorilla 5, tarantula 3, llama 10, yak 4, or camel 6). Once they had found it, they would be required to match one less. If teams could match up the tracks, they would get their next clue. Additional tasks: * At Wyoming’s State Capitol building, teams would have to “find a postcard of the first National Park created in America.” If teams found a postcard of Yellowstone National Park, they would be able to board a charter flight and leave for Yellowstone. * At Jackson Hole Airport, teams had to claim marked cars with their next clue. * At Grand Loop Road, teams would have to go horseback riding 1.1 miles (1.8 km) to Yellowstone’s Natural Bridge, where they would find their next clue. Then, they could ride back to their cars and drive to their next destination. * Teams were told to find their next clue on one of four vistas that look over Yellowstone’s Falls. Once they had found the correct overlook, Lookout Point, they would find their final clue. Transportation Leg 1: Teams took taxis this leg, as well as a speedboat to Hunga Tonga Island. Leg 2: Teams took taxis within Osaka and Kyoto, but took a train between the two cities. Leg 3: Teams took taxis or tuk-tuks the first half of the leg and boats during the second half. Leg 4: Teams traveled by private shuttle this leg. Leg 5: Teams drove themselves this leg. Leg 6: Teams took taxis this leg, but traveled by camel at the Giza Necropolis. Leg 7: After taking the ferry to Jordan, teams drove themselves. Leg 8: Teams used taxis and public transportation in Rivne. Leg 9: Teams took a taxi to their first two destinations in Alicante, then drove themselves. Leg 10: Teams drove themselves until they got to Machu Picchu, where they traveled on foot. Leg 11: Teams took taxis this leg. Leg 12: Teams took taxis while in Cheyenne, then drove themselves around Yellowstone National Park. Changes Leg 3 (Cambodia) * The Angkor Wat ARI was changed. * The Roadblock was replaced. * The original second ARI and Detour A were combined into one Detour. * The second Detour had an additional part added. Leg 6 (Egypt) * Two cryptic clues and two ARIs were eliminated.